Nut

Anacardium occidentale

Cashew nut

The cashew nut isn't technically a nut. It's native to South America, so the word cashew comes from the Brazilian Portuguese word 'caju', which comes from the indigenous Tupi word 'acajú', meaning "nut that produces itself". Such description is scientifically apt considering that a nut is a fruit whose hard shell does not open on its own to release the kernel seed, it relies on predation or decay. The cashew, however, is a true dried fruit, that grows on the outside of its fleshy false fruit, whose kernel seed detaches marvelously on its own from the outer shell as it sprouts.

Bibliography:

• "Caju: conheça mais sobre a fruta e seus benefícios." Fundação Cargill, 2021.

• "Correlating the morphology of Anacardium occidentale L. fruits from 30 orchards with their physicochemical and nutritional properties," Roger Dakuyo, et al., Frontiers in Plant Science – Plant Nutrition, 2022.

• "Functional packaging of seeds," Jessica Huss, Notburga Gierlinger. New Phytologist, 2021.

Acrocomia aculeata

Macaúba palm

This macaúba palm seed was acquired from farmers selling their products on the road outside São Luís in the state of Maranhão, in Brazil. It’s a common species in the Brazilian Northeast region, and its fruit feeds several animals of the Brazilian fauna. From the straw of its leaves, fishing nets can be made, and from its nut, an oil rich in medium-chain fatty acids can be produced. In Mexico, a fermented drink is traditionally produced from the trunk of the palm, named coyol wine.

Bibliography:

• "Macaúba – Acrocomia aculeata." cerratinga.org.br.

• "Acrocomia aculeata." Museunacional – Horto Botânico.

• "Bocaiuva (Acrocomia aculeata) nut oil: composition and metabolic impact in an experimental study," Laleska Pâmela Rodrigues Da Silva, et al. Food Science and Technology (Campinas), 2023.

• "Use of the Coyol Palm (Acrocomia aculeata) for the Production of “Taberna,” a Traditional Fermented Beverage in México," José A. Ambrocio-Ríos, et al. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems – Sustainable Food Processing, 2021.

Dicella bracteosa

Guaiaqui

This Dicella bracteosa seed, also called Guaiaqui or, in Tupi-Guarani, "almond of the fruit that irritates", was acquired from the biggest collector of rare fruits in Brazil. The Guaiaqui is a vine that produces an edible kernel, which can be consumed after removing the small hairs that surround its thick shell. Its flavor resembles peanuts.

Bibliography:

• "Dicella Bracteosa e Dicella Nucifera – Família das Malpighiaceae." colecionandofrutas.com.br.

• "Entrevista: Helton Josué Teodoro Muniz, maior colecionador de frutíferas do Brasil," Regina Motta. auepaisagismo.com, 2015.